The trial of ten people implicated in a massive doping scandal in the 1998 Tour de France got under way in the northern French city of Lille, today. The trial, which has shaken the sport to its foundations, is the culmination of two years of accusations and counter-accusations in France over drug-taking among professional cyclists.
The defendants, who include French cycling star Richard Virenque, are charged with various offences connected with encouraging and facilitating the use of illegal drugs in sporting competitions. Most of the defendants face jail terms if found guilty.
The scandal has become known as the "Festina Affair", after the Andorran-registered watchmaking company which sponsored the Franco-Spanish team in the Tour de France race in 1998 when the scandal broke. Festina's masseur was stopped on the Franco-Belgian border on his way to the race in possession of hundreds of bottles of doping products, triggering a massive investigation that almost caused the Tour to be abandoned.
The ramifications of the doping scandal have led the sport's governing body, the International Cycling Union (UCI) to work on much tougher testing in an effort to restore the sport’s credibility. The trial is expected to last until November 10. (Reuters)
Filed by Shane Murray
